37 Indoor Plants To Liven Up Your Home (and How To Care for Them)
There's one for every experience level.
Indoor plants are an easy way to inject some personality, style, and a sense of well-being into an otherwise boring room. After all, most of the best houseplants are more affordable than a new throw pillow or accent chair, in addition to being beautiful and low maintenance. Beyond their invigorating energy and color, the best indoor plants can also assist with filtering harmful chemicals out of the air you and your family breathe. Even small houseplants have other health benefits too: In fact, being around plants can naturally help balance and lower your anxiety and stress levels.
You don't need gardening experience or perfect conditions to keep indoor plants alive. If your house or apartment doesn't get a ton of natural light (we're looking at you, south-facing windows), that's okay. There are plenty of low-light indoor plants like ZZ plants and philodendrons that can thrive in whatever dim corner you place them in. And don't worry if you consider yourself lacking a green thumb. There's a range of easy-to-care-for indoor plants that don't require an intensive maintenance plan or watering schedule. The absolute easiest to care for indoor plants of all are succulents (if you have a lot of sunlight) or the beautiful trailing pothos plants (if you don't). Just pick one you think looks cute, and follow our simple care instructions.
Need extra reassurance? Many plants actually grow better indoors than they do outdoors thanks to the controlled conditions. Ahead, we break down 37 of the best indoor plants, including how easy they are to care and tips to ensure they thrive.
Blue Star Fern
BUY NOW $42, rooted.com
Care level: Easy
This plant's lush foliage prefers medium to bright indirect light, plenty of mist and humidity, and occasional watering. Because its full, feather-like leaves get longer as they grow, this plant looks best in a hanging planter.
Boston Fern
BUY NOW $39, publicgoods.com
Care level: Intermediate
The only thing that levels the Boston fern up from easy is its love of steam. Because they love low light and humidity, the bathroom is an ideal environment. Hang it in a corner, allowing its dark green fronds to drape down. Make sure to water it regularly—but only once the soil has completely dried out.
Algerian Ivy
BUY NOW $39, rooted.com
Care level: Easy
As with any trailing ivy, the primary maintenance for this stunning houseplant is managing its fast-growing vines. Algerian ivy loves a lot of shade and even watering.
Hoya Carnosa Tricolor
BUY NOW $51, thesill.com
Care level: Easy
This waxy plant will grow trailing vines of white and green (and sometimes pink!) leaves. Pet friendly and nontoxic, it thrives in bright, indirect light with a watering every one to two weeks.
Corkscrew Rush
BUY NOW $48, thesill.com
Care level: Intermediate
With leafless stems that look like literal corkscrews, this unusual houseplant loves moist soil and indirect light. It can even thrive in a low light environment with the occasional use of a grow light to aid with photosynthesis. In the right environment it can grow up to three feet tall.
Olive Tree
BUY NOW $78, thesill.com
Care level: Intermediate
Not just suited to the Mediterranean, an olive tree actually makes a great houseplant. It loves a warmer, sunny climate (but not too much direct sun or it will scorch) and plenty of humidity. Prune it seasonally to keep it looking fresh, and you'll enjoy it for years to come.
Pothos
BUY NOW $49, bloomscape.com
Care level: Easy
Consider a silver satin pothos, which has leaves that shimmer when they're hit by light. Pothos plants are fuss free: Keep them in partial to bright indirect light, and water them when the soil is mostly dry. Pro tip: You can easily expand your plant family by propagating one of these plants from cuttings.
Succulents
BUY NOW $20, urbanoutfitters.com
Care level: Easy
Succulents only require a small amount of water, so this set of four succulents is sure to spruce up your home without requiring much maintenance. Learn more about how to care for succulents so they thrive all year long.
ZZ Plant
BUY NOW $21, amazon.com
Care level: Easy
ZZ plants require less water than a lot of plants. If you tend to neglect yours (rather than overwater them), you'll do well with this one. It'll thrive in bright, indirect light—but it can also tolerate low light if you have a less-than-sunny spot you want to keep it in, according to Bloomscape.
African Violet
BUY NOW $6, lowes.com
Care level: Easy
African violets flourish indoors under bright and indirect light, making them easy to care for. Plus, they'll add a pop of purple to any room you display them in.
Juniper Bonsai
BUY NOW $29, amazon.com
Care level: Easy
The Juniper bonsai tree is the perfect accessory in an office or living room. It requires regular watering, but don't overdo it. Allow the soil to dry slightly (not completely) in between waterings and then give it a good pour. Also, keep in mind that it needs a few hours of direct sunlight each day.
Citrus Tree
BUY NOW$70, fastgrowingtrees.com
Care level: Easy
A clementine tree will have you dreaming of a summer abroad. In the spring, it'll fill your home with the smell of jasmine. It requires full to partial light and weekly watering, allowing the soil the dry out in between.
Rubber Plants
BUY NOW $26, amazon.com
Care level: Intermediate
The rubber plant requires bright, indirect light. You should only water it when the soil is dry. Rubber plants have the added benefit of being one of the best natural air cleaners out there. Place them near your favorite seating area to enjoy the fresh air.
String of Pearls
BUY NOW $14, amazon.com
Care level: Easy to Intermediate
You'll quickly have lengthy strands of pearls by leaving this plant in bright, indirect light with enough water to keep the soil steadily moist. Put yours in a hanging pot that allows the succulent's vines to cascade over the sides.
Pilea
BUY NOW $16, amazon.com
Care level: Intermediate
Bright, indirect sun is the best for this plant, but be careful with watering: It requires a "drench-and-dry" approach (water thoroughly, then let the soil dry out), along with weekly misting. The unusual round leaves make a dramatic impression, so it's best to keep the pot simple, like this display from The Joy of Plants.
Fiddle-Leaf Fig
BUY NOW $22, amazon.com
Care level: Easy
Only water this plant when the top inch of the soil is dry. Place it in a corner to create a dramatic focal point, like in this apartment over at Design*Sponge. But make sure it gets bright, indirect light.
Sweetheart Plant
BUY NOW $23, amazon.com
Care level: Easy
This adorable little heart-shaped plant, also known as Hoya kerrii, can be sold as either a single leaf-cutting or a whole trailing plant. It's a succulent that needs very little care (according to The Sill, watering it every three to four weeks is ideal), and it does best in bright, direct light. Consider it a perfect little addition to your window sill.
Anthurium
BUY NOW $34, amazon
Care level: Intermediate
Known for its waxy, heart-shaped flowers with a prominent stamen in the center, this plant needs to be watered every one to two weeks and requires occasional fertilizing—so they're not low-maintenance, but not high-maintenance, either.
Bird of Paradise
BUY NOW $48, amazon.com
Care level: Intermediate
Let this plant grow in a bright, sunny spot and it will definitely prosper, but it can handle lower light levels, too. You'll need to fertilize it often in the spring and summer, according to Bloomscape. Otherwise, it's fairly simple to handle—so long as you don't overwater it.
Snake Plant
BUY NOW $30, amazon.com
Care level: Easy
Indirect light is ideal for these plants (also called Mother-in-Law's Tongue), along with light waterings that take place only after the soil has fully dried. Place it in an elevated planter to add interest to an empty corner in your hall, as seen here at A House in the Hills.
Brittney Morgan is a noted land mermaid and a Virgo with a penchant for crafts, red lipstick, and buying way too many throw pillows. Her work has also been published at Apartment Therapy, NYLON, HuffPost, Hello Giggles, Elite Daily, and more.
Hadley Mendelsohn is the co-host and executive producer of the podcast Dark House. When she's not busy writing about interiors, you can find her scouring vintage stores, reading, researching ghost stories, or stumbling about because she probably lost her glasses again. Along with interior design, she writes about everything from travel to entertainment, beauty, social issues, relationships, fashion, food, and on very special occasions, witches, ghosts, and other Halloween haunts. Her work has also been published in MyDomaine, Who What Wear, Man Repeller, Matches Fashion, Byrdie, and more.
Mary Elizabeth Andriotis is House Beautiful's Associate Editor, where she covers historic homes, entertainment, culture, and design. She has written for publications including House Beautiful, Vogue, Architectural Digest, Teen Vogue, NYLON, and Town & Country. She enjoys visiting historic house museums in her free time.
20 Oversized Plants Everyone Needs in Their Home
13 Lush Indoor Tropical Plants Anyone Can Grow
Best Gardening Deals to Score on Prime Day
The Best Gardening Prime Day Deals to Shop Now
